


The Promise

by geeky__chick



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fix It Fic, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Spoilers, There I Fixed It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-05-03 07:29:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14564052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geeky__chick/pseuds/geeky__chick
Summary: A promise made so long ago, kept a close secret, resounded in the back of her mind all these months. During the harrowing journey to Earth, leading the two dozen escape pods filled with hungry people, she remembered that stolen moment. As she met Thanos on the battlefield, fighting to reverse what he had done to the universe, she heard him whisper he could have loved her. When they began to build Asgard in this cold, green country, she felt his hands on her cheeks.All through the hell she’d been put through, Brunnhilde thought of Loki.





	The Promise

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't come out of Infinity War without writing fic. I had to fix this for my poor, Valki-loving heart.
> 
> Special thanks to my bestie, Tracy, for helping me with this in her usual genius fashion while trying to get me to focus on other things at the same time. She loves me, she does.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

It took a bellowed order from the king to get her to comply. She fought him in the throne room, insisting that, as a warrior, her place was at his side. She swore to defend his throne, to defend her king. Thor, however, would not hear of it. There were precious few of them remaining, even fewer with the capacity to lead. So, Thor drew on his crown and imperiously ordered her to follow his command.

Only then, only when he insisted as King of Asgard, did she agree.

As with most things, once the decision had been made, she launched into action with that signature gusto, though he noted how her hands shook.

The part of him that knew she had to be at her best to save what would remain of their people agreed it was for the best. The other side of him, his fascination with her, the borderline obsession with her well-being, wanted to draw a bottle of mead from that place between worlds.

There was no time.

Asgardians were given a choice, as would be custom for their new king, had he the time to grow into his crown. Those that desired to stay behind were welcomed, though if they chose to flee with the escape pods, it was not belittled. Only a few might escape the massacre Loki knew was coming, those precious few led by a woman who had no desire to be queen, even for a moment.

Loki followed them to the escape pods, listening to the rolling lilt of her voice as she shouted for the refugees to run. They had moments, precious, precarious moments with which to flee. The Mad Titan was unlikely to pursue the escapees. Loki knew what he wanted, _who_ Thanos searched for.

She had almost stepped into her pod, the last to leave, when Loki emerged from the shadows. She stopped, one foot still raised to enter the tiny vessel before she turned so sharply, Loki feared she might have injured herself.

The Valkyrie moved toward him, only a step, but it was invitation enough. The God of Mischief strode closer, slow, careful steps. They hadn’t been alone, not often. Even now, they were not truly alone. But the moment felt intimate enough as she turned those devastatingly dark eyes on him, pinning him where he stood.

From the moment he clapped eyes on her, those long, lonely weeks in Sakaar before his brother arrived to blow everything to hell, Loki found himself mesmerized by Scrapper 142. The Valkyrie.

“Brunnhilde.”

He said her name, something he had never done before. Something lit in the depths of those haunting eyes, something that made what remained of his heart ache within his breast.  They stood chest to chest, almost touching, but never taking that final step.

If she touched him, he might lose the resolve he had found with his brother, the will to face what was to come with grace, with dignity and cleverness.

“I’m sorry.”

At first, he startled, thinking he had said the words he’d not yet found the strength to voice. A heartbeat later, however, Loki realized it was the Valkyrie who had spoken.

Tears swam, unchecked, in the earthy pools of her eyes.

“I waited too long.” Brunnhilde breathed the words, something softer than a whisper. “I thought we would have time, to deal with this. To see what it was.”

Loki found, to his astonishment, his own eyes began to sting. Emotion overwhelmed him, threatened to drag him under the waves of it. He could not, would not, be lost to sentiment. Not now. His brother counted on him to follow through, to help him delay Thanos.

‘It’s my fault.” Loki interjected, reaching out to take her hand. It fit inside of his, perfectly. Pain lanced at his heart once more. “I knew better. If I had taken the Stone and fled, as was my plan…”

“You could not leave the king.” Brunnhilde said, her lips tilting into half a smile. It was, perhaps, the softest look he had ever received from her. His memory captured it perfectly.

“I ought to have offered to go with you.” She continued, her voice suddenly thick. She swallowed hard. “I’m decent with persuasion.”

“I would have needed none.” Loki said, his voice fierce. “Had you asked, I would have followed you to the edge of the galaxy.”

Her strong hand gripped his more firmly, as though his words had caused her pain. Loki reached out with his right, cupping the nape of her neck, holding her fast. How often had he thought about touching her this way? How many nights had he remained awake in the dark, staring at the ceiling of the Grandmaster’s bedroom, his own here on the ship, and wondered?

This…this moment was all he might have with her. In his long life, never had a woman given him such pause, such contemplation. He admired her fortitude, her wit, that awesome strength that saw her so far. Loki knew that, should Thor survive this encounter as he was meant to, she would aid Asgard’s king in securing their people.

But, oh, what Loki might have given to have a future here, to have even one day with the woman so intent on capturing his heart, burrowing into his soul.

She stepped closer, finally, their bodies brushing together lightly. Brunnhilde’s dark gaze met his, their foreheads almost touching. He could see the gold flecks in her dark irises, forcing his memory to capture their image as well. He might have minutes or hours to live and he would live those minutes or hours with this moment at the forefront of his mind. This moment, with Brunnhilde, would take him to Hel.

Klaxons rang out, a warning that the Sanctuary approached. Loki and Brunnhilde tightened their grips on one another, even as a tear slid down her dark cheek. Loki swallowed hard, knowing he had to release her, lest Thanos learn of her, learn of how Loki _wanted_ her.

“On Earth, there is a cliff.” He whispered desperately. “In a country called Norway. It is where my brother and I last saw the Allfather. When you reach Earth, when you are safe, find that cliff. Stand at its edge and think of me. Just for a moment. I want to imagine you standing there, thinking of me, when it comes to the end.”

Her face had crumbled as he spoke, his final words breaking the last of her resolve. Brunnhilde nodded quickly, heedless to the tears splashing down her cheeks. Loki lifted both of his hands, cupping her cheeks to hold her in place. Her own hands came up to cover his, a final, desperate embrace of two people whom had never touched, knowing they might never have the chance to touch again.

“I promise.” Brunnhilde’s voice broke as she spoke, her nails biting into the flesh of his fingers. “I’ll find it.”

He nodded once, lifting his face until he could press a chaste kiss to her furrowed brow. Her breath turned ragged. Seconds. Mere seconds remained.

“I could have loved you.” Loki’s whisper was almost lost under the Klaxons. It was, perhaps, the only time he’d uttered the words to anyone, save his mother and brother.

“I would have loved you.” The Valkyrie replied breathlessly.

“Go.” The God of Mischief released his prize, stepping back to break the moment between them.

Brunnhilde moved toward the pod, her eyes on his for only a heartbeat before she turned away. Loki’s breath caught in his throat, his chest hitching at the pain now coursing through his body. Of all Thanos had taken from him, of all the torture he had endured, this was the worst wound he might have received after the death of Frigga.

As the hatch closed behind the woman he might have shaken the stars for, Loki stared after her. He watched as the pod detached, as the vacuum of space appeared in its wake. She’d gone. She was clear.

Safe.

Carefully, so carefully, Loki bottled the image of her in his mind. His perfect captures of her were gently collected, placed to the side of his mind, a lockbox Thanos would not bother to open. Loki had what he wanted, there would be no need to delve into his mind to torture him.

With the evidence of his moments with the Valkyrie wiped from his face, his mind, Loki strode back through the ship, toward the fate that awaited him in the throne room.

 

~~*~~

When they reached the stones, she felt the echo of death.

She bowed her head, whispering a prayer to the Allfather, her words lost on the crisp wind. Her companion remained back at the road, where the rest of their company waited for her to finish. She had not told a soul why she needed to find the place where the Allfather shrugged away his mortal body, to take up his throne in the hall of heroes.

A promise made so long ago, kept a close secret, resounded in the back of her mind all these months. During the harrowing journey to Earth, leading the two dozen escape pods filled with hungry people, she remembered that stolen moment. As she met Thanos on the battlefield, fighting to reverse what he had done to the universe, she heard him whisper he could have loved her. When they began to build Asgard in this cold, green country, she felt his hands on her cheeks.

All through the hell she’d been put through, Brunnhilde thought of Loki.

Perhaps it was fear that no one else remembered him, remembered what he had done. She had the tale from her king, in vivid detail. How Loki had tried to fight Thanos, unable to sacrifice his brother. She knew of his ill-fated attempt to assassinate the Titan, how Thor reached for his prone body as their ship exploded around them.

“I’m here.”

She choked on the words, her feet at the very precipice of the cliff. The boom of waves crashing into rock echoed beneath her feet, the cold, sweet wind whipping her hair around her face. The tears she held in check since that moment on the ship spilled down her cheeks. In this place, she did not care to hide. He had died a hero and so he deserved her tears.

“I promised.” Brunnhilde spoke again, wishing beyond hope she might hear his voice again. “I kept the promise. I’m here and I’m thinking of you. I can hardly do anything else. I think of you and I dream of you and I hate that we never got our chance.”

Only the booming of surf and the whipping wind accompanied her words. She wanted to think he heard her, that he could hear her now. Somewhere, she wanted to know Loki looked down at her with that smile she’d only seen twice, that soft, sweet smile.

 Swallowing over the painful lump lodged in her throat, Brunnhilde lifted two fingers to her lips, pressing a kiss onto the tips before she raised her hand to the sky. Perhaps the Allfather had made an exception and allowed the Jotun into Valhalla. She hoped that were the case, she hoped he had found some peace at the end.

“I miss you, Lackey.” Brunnhilde smiled to herself. “God of Mischief. King of the Jotuns. Prince of Asgard. Odinson.”

“There’s quite a lot to miss, really.”

Her heart screeched to a stop in her chest. Brunnhilde’s breath caught, trapped in her chest as her heart fought to recall how to beat. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t think.

“And you certainly took your time finding this particular cliff. Have you any idea how long I’ve been waiting?”

The Valkyrie turned sharply, finding the object of all her hopes standing on the grassy clifftop. He wore a dark suit, stark against the sunny blue sky and that smile she had so long missed.

“Loki.”

“In the flesh, my darling.” He made no move toward her, as though he knew her to be too close to shattering. “You kept your promise.”

Brunnhilde opened her mouth, not surprised when no sound came out. She closed it, swallowed, and tried once more.

“You…died.”

“I do that.” Loki grinned, shrugging his shoulders. “Fortunately for me, it never seems to stick.”

She remained rooted in place, unable to move, unable to really believe he stood only a meager few feet from her. Brunnhilde shook her head, blinking rapidly, as though he might vanish.

“How?”

“Do you really want the long vers—“

She didn’t. The Valkyrie was moving before she really gave her body the order to do so. The few feet between them she took in two bounds, throwing herself into his arms as though he were the harbor amid a storm. Loki’s laughter, something she had never heard before, joined them as they fell onto the grass of the clifftop, Brunnhilde’s body sprawled atop his.

He was real. He was alive. Her heart could hardly contain the joy.

“So, you did miss me.” Loki’s eyes were alight with pleasure, with _hope_.

A wicked smirk curved her mouth. Brunnhilde arched a brow, enjoying the feel of him beneath her, his hands settling familiarly on her hips.

“Shall I show you how much?”

Her prince merely leaned up, capturing her mouth with his.


End file.
